ESPN analyst says he wouldn’t take Manziel in first three rounds of draft

At the combine, Johnny Manziel showed off his wheels but not his arm. (Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press)

With little on Wednesday’s sports agenda to stir discussion and debate prior to the late night Rockets-Clippers game, ESPN turned to a tried and true conversation starter: Johnny Manziel.

NFL analyst Ron Jaworski was the prime mover of the day, saying that based on film study of five Texas A&M games in 2013, he doesn’t think Manziel is worthy of being picked in the first round of the NFL Draft – or, for that matter, the second and maybe not the third.

“My grade right now is incomplete, but I do not see very many redeeming qualities in his game that project him to be a first-round pick, a second-round pick and, to me, I think he’s a third-round pick or maybe later,” Jaworski said.

And, as if the conversation needed to be tweaked to an even higher level, Jaworski pulled out the ultimate conversation-starter for fans of the Texans, who have the first pick in the NFL Draft. He suggested that the Texans and new coach Bill O’Brien might be better suited by sticking with veteran Matt Schaub at quarterback.

“I can’t advise Bill O’Brien who to take, but I’m certain Bill O’Brien knows what he wants his quarterback to look like,” Jaworski said. “And I actually think they have a quarterback on their roster in Matt Schaub that is the kind of quarterback that Bill O’Brien likes.

“I think he’s going to say, ‘Hmmm. I like this Schaub guy. He reminds me a little bit of Tom Brady in size and stature,’ maybe not the outstanding consistency of Tom Brady, but you have an experienced, veteran quarterback, you surround him with the right people, I think Matt Schaub can still play a very solid game in the NFL.”

Jaworski, who played for the Rams, Eagles and two other teams before joining ESPN, has on occasion been generous toward younger quarterbacks. He said prior to the 2013 season that the 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick “could be one of the greatest quarterbacks ever,” and he praised Russell Wilson of the Seahawks for sound mechanics and ability to throw from the pocket prior to Seattle’s march last season to the Super Bowl.

However, he thinks Manziel at the moment comes up short in categories that define success in the NFL.

“The NFL game is about the pre-snap phase of the game, getting in the proper protection, then, when you drop back, reading coverage properly, getting the ball out of your hand early in time with your receiver so when they turn, that ball is there,” he said.” And it is ball security in the pocket, taking care of the football. It’s mechanics in the pocket: your throwing slot is consistent.

“And right now, I see Johnny Manziel as a project, a guy that will go down as one of the great collegiate players of all time. I would pay to see Johnny Manziel play in a college game. He’s a great college player, but his game, just in my opinion, does not project to the NFL. He’s a project, and he’s going to have to spend some time working on his game.”

With plenty of “SportsCenter” time to fill later in the day, ESPN called on its NFL Draft expert, Mel Kiper, for an alternate view.

Kiper acknowledged that he could not say with certainty that Manziel will succeed in the NFL but scoffed at the notion that he was a “project” prospect who would not play immediately.

“What you see is what you get. He’s playing right away,” Kiper said. “… This isn’t 1985, when you develop(ed) quarterbacks. What (Jaworski) is saying is that ‘he’s not my kind of quarterback. I don’t want him.’”

Kiper said Manziel has the physical potential to emulate Fran Tarkenton, the scrambling quarterback for the Vikings and Giants in the 1960s and ‘70s, and he laughed out loud at the notion that Manziel could slide to the second or third round of the draft.

“That’s laughable,” he said.

In a later appearance on ESPN’s “NFL Live,” Jaworski acknowledged that Manziel was likely to be a high draft choice, adding, “He probably will go in the first round, but I’m not going to make that pick.”

Jaworski also elaborated on his criticism, saying Manziel’s mechanics are “awkward” and that he does not drive through with his right leg to gain greater passing velocity. He also he was a “one-read player” in seeking out receivers.

“I would have said stay in school get the reps, get the practice, prepare yourself for the NFL,” Jaworski said. “To me, he’s a project.”

Former NFL head coach and ESPN analyst Herm Edwards said some teams will be drawn by Manziel’s “wow factor” but added, “You have to develop a system around his skill set, and if you’re not willing to do that, he’s going to fail.”

“He’s an unscripted guy,” Edwards added. “He’s a guy, in my opinion, if that’s a bus stop when he gets in the pocket and he sees the bus two stops away, guess what. He can’t wait on the bus. ‘I’d better go get the bus, because my seat might be taken.’ That’s the way he plays quarterback.”

He also referred to Manziel’s off-the-field reputation, saying the team that drafts him will “have to plan for this guy not only on the field but off the field.”

Meanwhile, on WGNU-AM in St. Louis, former Cowboys and Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer said he is concerned about Manziel’s character.

“I don’t like his antics. I think he’s an arrogant little …..,” Switzer said. “I’ve said that and I’ll say it again. He’s a privileged kid, he’s embarrassed himself, he’s embarrassed his teammates, his program. He’s embarrassed his coach. And they’ll all have to defend him because they have to coach. I know that. I spent 40 years in the damn game so I know how it works.”

However, he also said Manziel is the “most dominant, dynamic college quarterback I’ve ever seen. … The guy is oblivious to the rush. He lets you think you’re going to touch him and then he disappears and he gets away from you and buys time. When a guy does that, guys are going to separate. I don’t care how good you are in pro football, you can’t cover for more than five seconds. Then they’re going to be free.”